Water flow and leakage detector.



E. D. VAN NESS.

WATER PLOW AND LBAKAGB DETECTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED `OCT. 24, 191]..

Patented July 16, 1912.

uNITEDsTATEs lPATEN'II oFFIcE.

ENG-ENE D. VAN NESS, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNQR T0 VAN NESS-ADAE SPRINKLER C0., A CORPORATION 0F NEW 'YOBK.

WATER FLOW AND LEAKAGE DETECTOR.

and State of New Jersey, have invented cer.

tain new and useful Improvements in Water Flow and Leakage Detectors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying:

drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to waterfiow and leakage detectors, for use in `v automatic sprinkler systems, and more .particularly to a type of electrical detectors.

rlhe main object of the invention is to provide a detector adapted for use in co-nnection with automatically acting sprinkler heads, which detector will be actuated,

through the flow of water from t-he head, whether such flow results from the total displacement of the closure cap through the fusion of the metal in the strut, or otherwise, or the leakage or seepage of water about said cap, due to a partial displacement of said cap, or to any other cause.

A further object is to provide a detector wherein the alarm attachment will not obstruct the sprinkler outlet, or reduce the flow of water therefrom in any way whatsoever.

A still furtherobject isto provide a detector wherein the alarm actuating means will not be affected by changes in the conditions throughout the system, but only through the escape or flo-w of Water from any such hcadand may be set as to any sprinkler head in the system.

A still further object is to provide a detector and, alarm, which under normal conditions will `be actuated through the displacement ofi the sprinkler cap through the water pressure in the system, thus causing the inevitable actuation of the detector alarm when a sprinkler head is operative.

A still further object is to pro-vide a detector yof this character, which will give an alarm as a result of local conditions only, such alarm resulting solely from the fiow or leakage of water at some head inthe sysf tem.

A still further object is to provide a detector wherein the water diverted from the sprinkler nozzle will be insufticient to materially reduce .the-eHective flow atsaid noz- Spccication of Letters Patent.

- Application led October 24, 1911.

(therein a head Patented July 16, 1912. serial No. 656,478.

zle, and will be discharged from adjacent the alarm actuating means with the continued fiow of water from any sprinkler head.

A still further object is to provide a detector which will be operative to set an alarm irrespective of the degree of displacement of the cap, providing that such displacementI shall be sufficient to permit the vescape of water about the cap. And a still further object is to provide a detector actuated by the flow of water, wherein water will be diverted from the discharge nozzle in sufficient volume and under sufiicientlyv high pressure to act reliably in setting the alarm.

The invention consists primarily in a waterfiow and leakage detector, embodying fitting 4adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming a chamber in communication therewith, electrical contacts within said chamber, and closure means, having a water-tight seat, normally preventing the flow of Water through said fitting and controlling the source of communication between said fitting and said chamber, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water through said tting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and de- `scribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referringto the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation partially broken away, of the preferred form of my invention sho-wn in connection with a sectionr of service pipe; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a modified form of t-he invention for use in con- -nection with a saline solution for making ythe electrical contact; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a still further modification, wherein the water from the service pipe alone is used to make the electrical cont-act; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified Jform of diaphragm working on a normally closed circuit.

- Like letters refer to like parts, throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of my 'invention shown in Fig. 1 ,c indicates a service pipe carrying a T-titting b adapted to support. In practice the servicel the sprinkler head. pipes are run through the building and connected with means supplying water thereto under pressure, and said service pipe is connected with a large number of sprinkler heads. A system of this. kind is old and well known in t-his art, and as, my invention has to do with an alarm acting in conjunction with each head, I have shown the inh vent-ion in connection' with an individual,

head and will limit my description to that of a single head. In systems of this kind, which are known as wet systems, the main difiiculty has been that leakage may occur through a partial displacement of the closure cap or the formation of channels therethrough because of the deterioration of the material of the head, thus permitting the escape of the water in sufficient quantity to do property damage Without setting off an alarm, which ordinarily can be accomplished only through the total displacement of the closure cap thro-ugh the melting of the fusible member of the strut which forms a part of the closure mechanism. Secured to the fitting b is a' head fitting c having extending therethrough a continuous, direct and unobstructed duct d, one end of which opens into said service pipe aand the open end of which is directed into the roo-m protected by the sprinkler system. A closure cap e preferably of porcelain, glass or other noncorrosive material, incloses the open end of said fitting, and a packing ring f preferably ol' lead, is used to form a water-tight joint between said cap and the shoulder c upon said head fitting. Thisl cap is secured in place by an ordinary strut g, carrying the usual fusible retaining member g and held in the proper relation by means of the yoke g2 and adjustment. screw g3. In the form of the invent-ion shown in the drawings, the yoke g2 is supported from a shell L surrounding the open or discharge end,` and forming a part, of the head fitting, and spaced away therefrom sufliciently to form a channel completely encircling the fit-ting c about said open or discharge end, and open at the bottom toreceive the flange of the closure cap e. Carried by the fitting c, or by the shell L which forms a part of said fitting, is a laterally extending auxiliary casing z', having formed therein a chamber j which is adapted to be placed in communication hfith the duct d through the annular space between the discharge end of said fitting and said shell, yand a laterally extending by-pass port c leading from the ductd through the wall of the fitting c, adjacent to the discharge nozzle or o-pen end thereof. The port lo isnormally closed by the cap e, which is made cup-shaped to adapt it to perform the twofold function of closing the discharge end or nozzle of the fitting c and lrangement of the contacts.

contact 711,', this diaphragm being secured in place in any desired manner so as to entirely close said chamber y'. Closing'the end of the casing z is an electrically non-conductive plug n carrying an electrical contact n in a position to be adapted to be engaged by the contact m through the llexure of the diaphragm m under the pressure of the water delivered from the duct a? through the bypass port lo. The diaphragm m and the contact point m carried thereby are adaptcd to be placed in circuit with a battery 0 and relay p, the other terminal of said battery being in electrical connection with the' contact point n. The diaphragm m for purposes of securing a convenient electrical contact therewith is .made of a very thin metal, t-he contact being secured by a binding post z" upon the casing z'. The contacts m a are normally open so as to close the circuit when pressure is applied to said diaphragm, although if desired, a normally closed circuit may be substituted and the fiexure of the diaphragm caused to open this circuit. To insure .t-he flow of water to the chamber j in the desiredvolume and under the desired pressure, the discharge end or nozzle of the fitting c is constricted slightly by the format-ion of an annular shoulder c2 which will result in the diversion of a sullicient volume of water to, and the maintenance of a sullicient pressure within the chamber j, to insure the flexure of the diaphragm m. To facilitate the flow of water through the port 7c the duct d is enlarged slight-ly adjacent thereto as shown at d. By this construction the desired pressure -may be established and maintained within the chamber j without materially reducing the volume of water discharged into the area protected by the nozzle, and such an obstruction of the sprinkler head as would be condemned by fire underwriters is avoided. Connected with the relay p is the alarm circuit g, in which is arranged t-he alarm 1, the relay and alarm system being shown merely conventionally in the accompanying drawing.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings, the general construction and arrangement is the same as shown in the preferred form vof the invention, with the exception of the ar- In the modifications shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the electrical contacts m2 n2 are mounted in a plug s of insulating material and the contact is formed through the Water discharged into the chamber j. Under some conditions of usc,I I find that the water flowing through the s vstcm does not make good contact with thc contacts m2 In?, andto avoid any possibility of a failure in the closing of the cirsuit, l have found it desirable to use a saline solution for effecting this contact, and secure such a solution by mounting in the chamber j a salt cake t having a channel theretln-ough, through which the Water for making the contact passes.

In thc modification shown in Fig. 4, 1 have shown a different contact maker, adapted for use with a norlnally closed circuit. In this form of the invention, the contact n instead of being carried by the plug` u is carried by a rigid member pendant from the casing z', and in electrical connection therewith, and the diaphragm m instead of being connected with said casingl is carried by the plug n of insulating material. The operation of this form of the invention is the reverse of that shown in the preferred form.

The operation of the herein described device is substantially as follows :-My detector is adapted for use solely in giving an alarm in case. of any disturbance in the system resulting in the flow of water either in a continuous stream or as a result of leakage, and is applicable to those systems 'wherein the water is always in the service pipe or is therein only intermittent-ly, the device, however, being effective only When water is in the pipes. As long as the cap e is held properly in position, the detector will remain inoperative, but if there be any displacel'nent of the closure cap, Whether such result from the breaking d0Wn,'displacement or contraction of the strut g, then the Water escaping through the duct cl, Will set the alarm and thus call attention to the fact that Water is escaping from some of the automatic sprinkler heads.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, as the closure cap e is displaced by the pressure Within the duct (Z, leading from the service pipe when the fusible member in the strut g has melted, the stream flowing through said duct will be retarded slightly by the constricted outlet nozzle, and a stream of water will be forced through the by-pass port into the chamber at substantially that pressure prevailing throughout the system. While there will be a lossV of pressure, the initial flow of Water to the chamber will be a stream having suilicient pressure to flex the diaphragm m and force the contact m thereon into engagement With the contact n and thus close the alarm circuit. When the chamber j has once been filled, the diverted- Water will bev discharged through the channel normally receiving the flange of the cup-shaped closure cap e so that aside from that small volume of Water retained in the chamber y', the entire volume of Water passing throiwh the duct d Will ultimately be discharged Wit-hin .the area protected by any nozzle. By enlarging the duct d in the manner described, the tendency for the Water to pass through the port lc will be increased, thus insuring greater reliability in the actuation of the device. Immediately upon the stoppage of the Water, the chamber j Will be automatically emptied, thus again setting the cont-acts and restoring the sprinkler head to its normal inoperative position, thus obviating that necessity for the removal of the sprinkler head which is now one of the requisites of the board of un- -dei-Writers. If there be a leakage, however, due to the corrosion of the packing for the plug or cap e, or to the partial displacement of said plug or cap, this leakage Will gradually fill the chamber y' until suilicient pressure isdeveloped to flex the diaphragm fm, when the alarm Will be set in the same manner as though said cap were entirely removed through the breaking down of .the strut. As the circuit is closed, the relay 77 will be actuated by the battery 0 and Will in turn close the circuit Q to the alarm r.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the operation is substantially the same as that heretofore described, excepting that the Water Will flow through the passage in the salt cake t, and form a saline solution which, when the chamber j is filled, will form a conductor in connection with both contacts m2 and n2. In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the Water alone Will form such a conductor.

The modification shown in Fig. 4 is adapted for use in a system employing a normally closed circuit. In this form of the invention, the alarm will be set at safety so long as the circuit is closed, but With the breaking of the circuit through the flexure of the diaphragm, inthe manner described With the form shown in Fig. 1, the alarm Will be set. This form of the invention While lacking that economy as to mainte-nance present in the preferred form, may be used With all of the electrical contacts in all of the heads in the system coupled in series, and has the advantage that in case of any disturbance in the electrical circuit, the alarm Will be set.l

In all forms of the invent-ion, if desired, air vent passages may be formed in the closure plug n to prevent the formation of air cushions and thus interfere With the ready closing of the electrical circuits.

It will be observed that 'by the use of the construction shown and described, the alarm system is actuated -through the flow of the water and that the quantity of Water required to actuate the system is so small as not to reduce the effective discharge from each sprinkler head and that in fact the water effecting the setting of the signal is discharged within the protected area of any head.

A device of this character is to be distinguished from an automatic fire alarm, the conditions of use being entirely dissimilar and this device being for use in an alarm system apprising the inspection service of any defect in, or displacement of the closure caps for, the various sprinkler heads.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of' construction shown in the'accompanying drawings, it being apparent thatsuch may be varied without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is

l. A waterfiow and leakage detector, embodying thereina head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming a chamber in communication therewith, electrical contacts within said chamber, and closure means having a water-tight seat, normally-.preventing the flowof Water through said fitting and controlling the source of communication between said fitting and said chamber, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water -through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

2. A waterflow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming a chamber, said fitting having a by-pass port therethrough discharging into said chamber, electrical contacts within said chamber, and closure means having a water-tight seat normally sealing the discharge nozzle of said fitting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water through said fitting will actuate said electrical contact-s to sound an alarm.

3. Awaterflow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and-having an unobstructed duct ther in, an auxiliary casing forming a cham-ber, said fit-ting having a by-pass port therethrough discharging into said chamber, electrical contacts within said chamber, and cup-shaped closure'means having a water-tight seat normally inclosing the end of and sealing the discharge nozzle of said fitting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of saidy closure means, the flow of water through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

4. A waterfiow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head fitting adapted to .an 'unobstructed duct. therein,

be connected with a service pipe and having an auxiliary caslng forming a chamber, said fitting having a laterally extending by-pass port therethrough dischargin into sald chamber and being constricted adjacent to the discharge end thereof to divert a portion of the fiow throu h said port, electrlcal contacts within said c amber, and cup shaped closure means having a water-tight seat normally inclosing the end of and sealing the'discharge nozzle of said ,fitting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

5. A waterfiow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pip'e and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming achamber, said fitting havmg a laterally extending by-pass port therethrough discharging into said chamber and being enlarged adjacent to said port and constricted adjacent to the discharge end thereof to divert a portion of the flow through said'port, electrical contacts within said chamber, and cup-shaped closure means having a water-tight seat normally inclosing the end of and sealin ,thel discharge nozzle of said fitting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of sald closure means, the fiow of water through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

6. A waterfiow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, a laterally extending auxiliary casing forming a chamber, said fitting having alaterally extending bypass port therethrough discharging into said chamber, electrical contacts within said chamber, and closure means having a watertight seat normally sealing the discharge nozzle of said fitting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseat-ing of said closure means, the flow of water'through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

bodying therein a head fitting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, a shell surrounding the end of said fitting and forming a channel about same, having an annular opening adapted to receive a flange on the closure cap, a laterally extending auxiliary casing forming-a chamber, said fitting having a laterally extending by-pass port therethrough discharging into said channel and said chamber, electrical contacts within said chamber, and cup-shaped closure means having a flange projected through the openmg in said shell and having a water-tight seat normally sealing the discharge nozzle of said itting and said port, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water through said fitting will actuate said electrical contacts to sound an' alarm.

8. Awateriow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head-fitting adapted to be connected witha service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming a chamber in communication therewith, a flexible diaphragm within said chamber, and closure means having a watertight seat, normally preventing the flow of water through said fitting and said chamber, included in an electrical circuit, an oppositely disposed electrical contact adapted to be engaged by said diaphragm also -ineluded in said circuit, whereby with the partialor complete unseating of said closure means, the flow'of water through said itting will flex said diaphragm and actuate saidelectrical contacts to sound an alarm.

9. A waterflow and leakage detector, embodying therein a head tting adapted to be connected with a service pipe and having an unobstructed duct therein, an auxiliary casing forming a 'chamber in communication therewith, a flexible diaphragm within said chamber, and closure means having a watertight seat, normally preventing the flow of Water through said fitting and said chamber, included in an electrical circuit, an electrically non-conductive plug closing 'said chamber, `an electrical contact adapted to be engaged by said diaphragm also included in said circuit, whereby with the partial or complete unseating of said closure means, the flow of water through said fitting will Hex said diaphragm and actuate said electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

In witness whereof, I` have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of October, 1911.

EUGENE D. VAN NESS.

Witnesses 4 EUGENE VVENING,` CLAiussA FRANCK. 

